Places To Visit In Patiala, Punjab For The Travelers

Patiala is a royal city of Punjab. It is known for its fashionable women and the markets that help them stay fashionable. Places to visit in Patiala are many like the forts and palaces that dot this still small city. There are Havelis, sweet shops and lots of markets.

Places to visit in Patiala

Come with me to explore this heritage city of Punjab – Patiala.

Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib

Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib, Patiala

I did not plan it this way, but Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib is the first thing we visited on our Patiala trip. It is a very big Gurudwara and an even bigger tank. Devotees come here from far and wide in search of solutions for their problems. Once the problem is sorted, they come back to say thank you, by taking a dip in the Holy Sarovar.

It is particularly believed that any childless couple can ask for a boon of a child by coming here for 5 consecutive Panchami’s i.e. 5th day of the lunar month for 5 months.

History of Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib

Sarovar at Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib – Places to visit in Patiala

Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib is the oldest living part of the city of Patiala. It is believed that the village that existed near the site of Gurudwara was always full of sickness and poverty. Once Guru Tegh Bahadur visited Bahadurgarh that is located not too far from here. Bhag Ram – a man from the village requested Guru Tegh Bahadur to visit the village and bless it. Guru Tegh Bahadur came and sat under a Banyan Tree next to a pond. The village started getting out of its bad luck.

Inside Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib

Since then the pond waters are supposed to have curative powers. Even today, you are not allowed to put anything in the pond or sit with your feet dipped in the pond.

There is a small museum in the gurudwara premises that narrates the history of Sikhism.

We went all around the marble-floored premises. It was a cold January day but the warmth of devotion was all around us. People were comfortably sitting inside and outside listening to the singing of Gurbani. I too sat down for a while and felt a certain sense of peace. However, my salvation came in eating the Kadha Prasad – the one that you only get at Gurudwaras.

There is an eternal flame or Jot that is burning at the original spot where Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji sat. Anyone can contribute the ghee to this.

Inlay work at Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib – Patiala

At places, the marble has colorful patterns in inlay work. Some ceilings have ornate glass work. The main dome above the Guru Granth Sahib is in gold. The overall ambiance though remains pristine white.

Mohindra College – Patiala

Mohindra college was not on my itinerary. If you are an architecture enthusiast, you cannot pass by this beautiful building without stopping here. This 1875 CE established college is one of the oldest educational institutes in the country.

Named after the then Maharaja of Patiala Mohindra Singh, this college building speaks of the colonial times that it was born in. Can you believe it was the only college of its kind on whole of North India and was affiliated with Calcutta University? It also provided free education till 1937. I am told girls still get a free education here.

It was a pleasure to walk in the lawns of this historic Institute of knowledge as the students went around attending classes and soaking in the winter sun.

Patiala Heritage Walk

We started our day with Patiala Heritage Walk that goes through the royal memorials at Shahi Samadhan, old Havelis, eateries, and ends at the heart of Patiala – Qila Mubarak.

Sheesh Mahal

Sheesh Mahal – Places to visit in Patiala

The Sheesh Mahal at Patiala is what I remembered most vividly from my childhood. Incidentally, I could only see it from outside this time as the monument was under renovation. I could see the pink building with two towering minarets that look like the bastions of a fort. Stucco work and latticework on balconies can be seen.

From the outside it looks like a small palace, but as and when it is restored, one needs to see the famous Sheesh Mahal.

A narrow hanging bridge connects the lake to the other side. This too was under maintenance. The pond below was dry and I could only imagine the time it was full of water and you walk on the narrow bridge. In the evenings, it must have been very romantic.

Old Moti Bagh or NSNIS Campus

Old Moti Bagh or National Institute of Sports, Patiala

You have probably heard of Neta Ji Subhash National Institute of Sports at Patiala. Almost every sports-based film in India, except of course the Cricket based films, feature this. Well, I would say this is the Kashi of sportspersons in India.

National Sports Museum – Places to visit in Patiala

Originally, it was a huge palace of the Maharaja of Patiala called Moti Bagh. Today apart from the academy, there is a sports museum. I am not aware of any other sports museum in India. It documents the sports achievements of India. It is interesting to see Appu – the mascot of 1982 Asian Games, or photographs of P T Usha or Milkha Singh.

Old wagon tells the Maharaja Tales – Places to visit in Patiala

An old railway wagon stands in the lawns of Old Moti Bagh. In green color, it tells an amusing tale. Apparently, when railways first came to the region, Bhupendra Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala challenged the British person for a race – he on his new wagon and Maharaja on his horse. Maharaja won and got to keep the wagon. Since then, it is a trophy that is standing in the lawns of Maharaja’s palace.

Gates of Patiala

Gates of Patiala

While driving around we stopped at the various gates of Patiala City. The wall no longer exists but the traffic still passes through these gates as if entering and exiting the city.

Bahadurgarh Fort

Bahadurgarh Fort, Patiala

This fort is located few kilometers away from the main Patiala city. It is now a Police training institute so the access is limited to it. We could go inside the fort to visit the Gurudwara. The fort walls made of small bricks still look strong.

Kali Devi Mandir

The Kali Mata Mandir – Patiala

Kali Devi is an ancient temple in Patiala. It is said the idol of Kali Devi was brought here from Kolkata. There is a similar idol of Devi at Calcutta Kali Ghat with her tongue out.

This is a huge temple, where alcohol is offered to the Devi. However, I have never seen a cleaner temple in India. The Prasad is given in small packs with a cleanliness message written on it. It was a pleasure to walk on the floor knowing that no food is littered there. Behind the main temple are the smaller temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and his family.

Food in Patiala

Satrangi Gol Gappe, Patiala

Soot Ke Laddu is a special Laddu that you get mostly in Patiala only. While everyone in the city would take you to Gopal Sweets, I would say go to the Pammi Poorian Wala and pick these Laddus. They are the best gifts from Patiala.

Patiala Street Food

1 of 7

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun - Patiala

Soot ke Laddu - Pammi Poorian Wala

Soot ke Laddu - Pammi Poorian Wala

Shakarkandi or Sweet Potato - Patiala

Shakarkandi or Sweet Potato

ShakkarPaare

ShakkarPaare

Namakpaare

Namakpaare

Tempting Fresh Samosas at Pammi Poorian Wala - Patiala

Tempting Fresh Samosas at Pammi Poorian Wala - Patiala

Poori at Pammi Poorian Wala

Poori Plate at Pammi Poorian Wala in Patiala

Satrangi Gol Gappe is a small shop whose claim to fame is the Gol Gappe or Pani Puri with 7 different types of water in it:

Jeera or Cummins

Pudina or Mint

Hing or Asafoetida

Kali Mirch or Black Pepper

Meetha or Sweet

Chutney

Dahi Wala or with Curd

I must say the Gol Gappas at Satrangi is a must have on your itinerary of Patiala.

Nearby Places to visit in Patiala

Farms around Patiala

You can not visit Punjab without visiting its fields. So we headed towards a farmhouse, but the joy was to meet us on the way.

We stopped at a Gur Making unit right by the roadside. This was the first time when I saw the Gur being made. Within half an hour the fresh sugarcane juice becomes jaggery through a simple process of heating it and cooling it. It was fun to lick off fresh from the pan. Not to mention the Punjabi hospitality where we were first offered fresh sugarcane juice and then tea.

Video of Jaggery Making

Later we would pick up the dry fruit Gur from a shop in Patiala that I am still relishing as my dessert at home.

We chose to eat Sugarcane or Ganna the desi way. Only in Punjab, can you pick up sugarcane from someone’s field and they will come and offer you another one.

Fields of Punjab

We strayed into some fields where workers from Bihar were harvesting the potato. While the main harvesting was being done by the machine, the picking and sorting were being done manually. It was fun to stand in the fields of the food bowl of India.

Pre-wedding Shoot at the Farmhouse at Nanoki – Punjab

When we reached the farmhouse, it turned out to be a hot venue for pre-wedding shoots. It was amusing to see the amount of setup done, a number of cameras including drones being used and the other paraphernalia like royal looking jeeps and rugged motorbikes. Got no feeling of being in a farmhouse, but it was nice to see this side of emerging Punjab.

Only in Punjab Moments

On the road, we met these gentlemen who gave us some ‘Only in Punjab’ moments.

A whole shop on a motorbike.

Only in Punjab

I can stand and direct my bike through the traffic.

Apart from these Places to visit in Patiala, we visited the Adalat Bazaar for shopping, but that would need another post.

27 COMMENTS

balley, balley.
i visited patialsa 2 meet nmy cousin after a national tt event in jalandhar and visited some ogf the places u have indicated where my cousuin tooke me 2.
also visited the university, engg., college 2 c my friend , a faculty in forensics.

Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib looks stunning! Such a lovely contrast and one beautiful structure in white. Enjoyed the story behind it and how the pond water are now believed to have curative powers, so interesting! 🙂
And how about those gates of Patiala City, so charming. Love the fact that you can use them even today, to drive through even though the wall doesn’t exist any more. Like stepping back in time, right! 🙂

Yes, most Indian Cities have a walled city – parts of which remain and most of which are gone. I have seen cities with beautiful carved ancient gates in Gujarat. They make you think how beautiful the city would be whose gates are so lovely.

Can defo see myself visiting Patiala. Never heard of the place but it looks fantastic. Hope to visit this region when I get out to India for the first time. I also love walled cities, I find them so photogentic. 🙂

Whiffs of nostalgia reading this one 🙂 Patiala has always been special for the Phulkari in the markets, the classic apparel shopping trips , the gorgeous gurudwara and the Kaali mata temple. Have to do the heritage walk someday 🙂 The food is undoubtedly so good. Thanks for the nostalgic virtual trip! Loved the gur making video!

You’ve made Patiala look quite interesting! I have been to Patiala when I was a little girl (both my parents are from Punjab and we often visited different cities in Punjab) but I don’t think I ever saw this kind of beauty in the city that has been captured by your pictures! I especially love the shot of the gurudwara and the food makes me want to eat some right now! I do, however, find the food in Punjab so unhealthy and fattening. LOL.

I can’t imagine that there are so many things to do in Patiala. I do remember going to patiala not inside the city but to Pinjore Gardens which we liked. I liked he pre-wedding shoot on top of a Maruti Gypsy! It is so down to earth!

Patiala sounds like a fabulous spot to take in historic sites and appreciate royal architecture! Sarovar at Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib is particularly stunning. I love exploring fascinating examples of historic architecture, so I’m quite excited by the thought of the Patiala Heritage Walk. What a great way to immerse yourself into more of community life too by visiting the local farms. I love how you’ve captured authentic Punjab Moments and local life in your photos 🙂

Patiala definitely appeals with all those heritage sites. The sheesh Mahal would be a place that I would want to explore from within as would the sports museum.. Interesting story around the trophy wagon. Nice to see it is still around.

There seems to be a Sheesh Mahal in every medieval heritage site of India. Good to see one in Patiala too.
The lake/sarovar of Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib is a sight so soothing. Hope some day I can visit every such corner of India.

Patiala seems like a place full of so much heritage and culture. The Patiala Heritage Walk that you did
from the royal memorials at Shahi Samadhan, old Havelis, eateries, and Qila Mubarak is something I would absolutely love to do. And, I loved Sheesh Mahal, when I went there years back.

You take me to back those memories when I was visited Patiala. Really the beauty of Patiala makes me a lot to explore. I had Visited one year ago really the stunning places of Patiala attract each traveller. I hadn’t that much time to explore so I watched only two places.
1. Gurudwara Dukh Niwarn Sahib.
These both places are the sign of spirituality. The Sarovar of Gurudwara Sahib is so fascinating. The design of gurudwara is fabulous. The white colour of this Gurudwara Sahib make me so cool and the religious feeling comes from the inner soul automatically.
2. Kali Mata Mandir:- we visit this mandir at evening time like 7 pm to 8 pm. There was so much crowd because it was the “AARTI” TIME. So we also had the company with those people who were doing “Aarti”. We also enjoyed that movement. We also take “aarti Thali” and had “aarti” with other people.
Also, I take so many things from Markit. Because outside the mandir, there are so many shops.
Overall, I enjoyed a lot in Patiala.
Thanks, mam, For sharing this memorable content. Keep sharing a good article.

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IndiTales – an award-winning travel blog from India covering Indian & International tourism destinations. We love admiring the art, history, culture and art history of the tourism destinations and bring back to you the must-see things in India and the world. We love to walk around cities and bring them to you as walking tours. We visit the museums and tell you what not to miss there. We go on jungle safaris and bring back nature trails for you. We travel the offbeat roads and bring you the road trips. We share our travel tips and of course, the travel stories we met on the road.